Ballycastle tide times

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived.

Model-derived from a global ocean grid. Useful indication; expect about ±45 minutes on average vs. a local harmonic gauge, individual stations vary widely. See /methodology for per-region detail. Not for navigation.

Conditions as of 05:00 local time. Refreshes daily.

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived. · Not for navigation.

The angler tradition for major/minor fishing windows: major ≈3-hour windows around moon transit and opposition; minor ≈2-hour windows around moonrise and moonset. Times are Europe/London local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Last spring tide on Sat 16 May (range 0.9m / 3.1ft). Next spring tide on Thu 21 May (range 1.0m / 3.1ft). Next neap on Wed 20 May.

Spring tides cluster around new and full moons (biggest swings). Neap tides land on quarter moons (smallest swings). See the spring tide and neap tide glossary entries for the why.

Ballycastle is a small harbour town on the northeast corner of Northern Ireland, between Fairhead to the west and Torr Head to the east, facing across the North Channel toward the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland — only 19 km away. The tidal character of the North Channel is distinctive: the strait between Northern Ireland and Scotland is one of the most energetic tidal passages in the British Isles, with currents exceeding 5 knots in Rathlin Sound between the mainland and Rathlin Island. Mean spring range at Ballycastle is around 1.8 metres, but the tidal flow rather than the range is what defines conditions here. Rathlin Island sits 9 km north of Ballycastle. The island has the UK's only seabird viewing centre of scale, managed by the RSPB, with 250,000 breeding seabirds including puffins, razorbills, guillemots, and fulmars. The ferry from Ballycastle harbour runs daily from Easter through October; journey time about 25 minutes in settled conditions. The crossing timing is influenced by tidal current in Rathlin Sound — the boat operators work the crossing windows carefully. Kayaking to Rathlin Island is done by experienced sea kayakers who plan around the tidal current windows in the Sound. Rathlin Sound runs 3 to 5 knots on spring tides, with the flood running northeast and the ebb running southwest. The crossing window at slack is approximately 20 to 30 minutes on spring tides — crossing must be initiated before the current exceeds about 1.5 knots, or the boat is swept off course significantly. Local paddlers with tide table experience regularly make the crossing. Fairhead to the west of Ballycastle is one of the most dramatic cliff faces in Ireland — 180 metres of dolerite columns rising straight from the sea. The headland is accessible by a 4-km cliff walk from the town. Sea conditions at Fairhead produce severe tidal races; the area is not suitable for paddling except in the calmest conditions. The town beach at Ballycastle is a curved sandy bay, sheltered by the harbour breakwater, with calm water suitable for swimming and stand-up paddleboarding in summer. The water temperature peaks around 15°C in August — cold, but manageable in a 3mm wetsuit. Winter sea temperature drops to 8°C. Tide predictions on this page come from Open-Meteo Marine, a gridded global ocean model, cross-referenced with UK Environment Agency gauge data. For the most accurate local predictions, consult the UK National Tide Gauge Network via CEFAS or the UKHO's EasyTide service.